


Blue Flames

by ElectricRituals



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Study, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 19:06:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18505204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricRituals/pseuds/ElectricRituals
Summary: Since the time he was a young boy Charlie Weasley had loved dragons. This story follows Charlie in his newest journey at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary and through his experiences during the second wizarding war. While he learns all he can about the beasts he studies, he finds a few things out about himself along the way.(Starts before the Harry Potter series and will end some time after Deathly Hallows)





	Blue Flames

Blue flames danced around him, the intense heat washing over his skin. After a month at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary, Charlie had finally been allowed to enter one of the dragon enclosures and approach an injured Swedish Short Snout. 

Charlie Weasley, the newest dragon keeper on the reserve, had been tasked with getting close enough to the Swedish Short Snout for him to get a scale off the dragon’s left flank for testing. There was some concern amongst the staff of the reserve that the dragon was ill, he hadn’t been eating properly and one of the keepers reported seeing a weird dull patch of scales on the creatures left flank. Worrying that the dragon was exhibiting the early signs of scale rot or some other illness, the director decided to send in a team to get a scale sample from the dragon. 

This team consisted of Charlie and an older, more experienced wizard named Emmanuel. Charlie was given the easier job, retrieving the scale from the dragon, while Emmanuel was given the slightly trickier job of distracting the dragon and keeping Charlie safe. 

And yeah, Charlie might be the new guy, but he was fairly sure, as he dodged flames, that Emmanuel wasn’t doing the greatest of jobs. 

Adrenaline pumped through Charlie as he quickly dodged flames and backed further from the dragon. The Swedish Short Snouts flames reached insanely high temperatures and Charlie knew that he would burn quickly just from the heat in the air around the flames. He didn’t want to think about what would happen to him if he were unlucky enough to come into direct contact with the flames.

Charlie Weasley was an average height, red-headed, stockily built wizard who, most importantly, loved all things dragon. Since even before he had started at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and started studying dragons, Charlie had been obsessed. The young boy was always asking his father to tell him all about dragons and for just one more bedtime story, please. 

It was a natural jump for Charlie to begin working with the creatures themselves once he graduated school. 

Charlie’s first month at the dragon reserve hadn’t been too exciting. He spent a lot of time with the research department of the reserve learning everything about the breed of dragons found on the reserve that he could. He learned all about the safest ways to approach each dragon and how to avoid using magic if at all possible around the creatures, their sensitivity to it possibly making them more hostile. 

That month he has many chances to work with eggs and hatchlings, run perimeter checks, and observe the activity in the enclosures, but he hadn’t been allowed in the enclosures.  
And now, standing nose to nose with a real, live, angry, fire-breathing dragon, Charlie had never felt so alive. 

Emmanuel yelled out for Charlie to move, to get back, but Charlie couldn’t. As the dragon reared back, preparing to loose another jet of flames, Charlie darted to the dragons left side while Emmanuel took the opportunity to get the dragon’s attention again. Charlie was able to reach the dragon’s flank and remove a scale before it turned it’s attention back to him. The dragon’s anger hadn’t abated and as it roared, Charlie ran.

Later that night, sitting in his quarters, Charlie couldn’t stop thinking of that day with the Swedish Short Snout, arguably one of the best experiences of his life. He had completed the job, hadn’t been seriously injured, and knew the scale he had collected was currently being tested to make sure the dragon was and would stay healthy.  
He had been face to face with one of the most dangerous and magnificent creatures in existence and lived to tell the tale and he had never been more certain that this was what he had been born to do.

 

. . .

 

A month later, Charlie Weasley woke up feeling more excited than ever before. His first two months at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary had been nothing short of spectacular, every day a new adventure, but today was the day he would start his real work as a dragon keeper. While he still had a month left of his probationary period, today Charlie would be assigned a partner to shadow and learn from, a regular location with the dragons, and a specialization. 

Normally after being assigned a specialization breed for study, the trainee keepers were also assigned one dragon of that breed to watch and study. The experience observing that dragon is how the trainees learn their paperwork and how to write effective reports that help the reserve help the dragons.

Going to the job assignments board in the mess hall after getting ready for the day, Charlie was ready to see who he would be shadowing.

Gregory Lent

The most experienced keeper on the reserve, known for his knowledge, competence, and no-nonsense attitude.

Charlie had only met the man once. Charlie had been tasked with checking on the hatchlings one morning and, when he arrived, Lent had been there, holding a four-day old Antipodean Opaleye hatchling like a pet cat, stroking it’s head. Charlie had never seen a dragon, even a hatchling, acting so docile. He later asked on of the other keepers about it and they explained that Lent just had a way with the dragons, they seemed to respect him more than the others.

Charlie had known then that Lent would be the best person to learn from. That kind of relationship with the magnificent creatures was envious.

Scotty Frender, a kind faced American wizard wandered over to Charlie, eyeing his assignment curiously. He let out a low whistle, “Well,” he started ominously, “it was nice knowing you, Weasley.”

Charlie eyed Scotty confusedly before asking, “What do you mean?”

“Well, Lent’s never has a trainee he didn’t scare off,” Scotty responded regretfully, patting Charlie on the shoulder.

“We’ll just have to hope that’s because he’s never had me as a trainee,” Charlie said, sounding more optimistic than he was suddenly feeling.

Scotty let out a laugh, “Let’s hope,” he said before patting Charlie on the shoulder again and walking outside.

Charlie felt a wave of uneasiness settle over him, wondering if he had been paired with Lent to give him his best chance for success on the reserve, or to hasten his failure.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea I've been playing around with for about a month. It took me a while to decide to post it. It's definitely my most ambitious project yet based on my current plan and timeline. Any notes are greatly appreciated, it's been a few years since I've even written anything. I'm working alone so any mistakes are my own. Thanks for reading!


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